REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama -- Less than a month after awarding the Design, Development, Demonstration and Integration, or D3I, Domain 1 contract Feb. 9, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command hosted a kick off to discuss task orders for the contract March 2.
USASMDC/ARSTRAT, along with the U.S. Army Contracting Command-Redstone, met with the eight indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, or IDIQ, prime contractor awardees to begin the task order process for the High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator, or HEL TVD, integrated system development.
The HEL TVD program is designed to give Warfighters a cost effective, high energy laser weapon system to protect them from rockets, artillery and mortars at fixed and semi-fixed locations.
"Today was a significant milestone with the kickoff of the D3I Domain 1 contract," said Tom Webber, SMDC Technical Center acting director. "After several years in the making we now have in place the largest acquisition ever awarded in the command. Domain 1, coupled with Domains 2 and 3, provides a flexible, streamlined and competitive acquisition mechanism that will enable SMDC/ARSTRAT to fully execute the breadth and depth of requirements across our core mission areas of space, missile defense, high altitude and cyberspace.
"The flexibility of the D3I contract also allows other government agencies to take advantage of the diverse scope," he added.
Webber said the award of Domain 1 was a critical enabler to maintaining the development path of the HEL TVD. He added that SMDC has remained committed to executing the HEL TVD work via the D3I contract and to meet a 100-kilowatt demonstration of HEL TVD in fiscal year 2022, the command needed to start in earnest in fiscal year 2017.
"I'm delighted to say we will be awarding a phased task order to all Domain 1 primes in the spring," Webber said. "It was a tremendous effort on the part of our HEL team, Contract Acquisition Support Office, legal, and Army Contracting Command to get a draft request for proposal out to the primes one day after contract award."
"I want to thank everyone involved in making this happen and a special thank you to our industry partners for their interest, support, and more importantly their patience in getting to where we are today," he added.
During the event, contract awardees learned about the basic contract terms, roles and responsibilities, general contract information, contract data requirements list, program status reviews, task order processes and overviews and other critical information about the D3I process.
The contract provides for a total potential program ceiling value of more than $3 billion. The awardees are BAE, Dynetics, KBRwyle, Northrop Grumman, QWK, Raytheon, SAIC and Teledyne Brown Engineering.
"Today was very successful," said Adam M. Aberle, High Energy Laser Division Technology Development and Demonstration lead, SMDC Technical Center Air and Missile Defense Directorate. "We were able to share with industry our vision for HEL TVD and were able to field questions to provide needed information to industry for them to write good proposals responding to our need.
"HEL TVD is a focused high priority science and technology effort for the Army to develop a laser demonstrator system to show the ability to negate targets identified by the Indirect Fires Protection Capability Increment 2 - Intercept as threats to our Soldiers," Aberle added. "SMDC is recognized by the Army as the leader for laser science and technology development for the Army. The HEL TVD effort is a flagship laser technology development and demonstration effort for the Army."
The D3I Domain 1 is a Multiple-Award IDIQ, or MAIDIQ, contract vehicle. Each awarded contract carries a five-year base ordering period and two consecutive two-year optional ordering periods within which specific Domain 1 task order requirements will be competed among the eight awardees.
A member of the Army Contracting Command said that the meeting was a stepping stone for SMDC because the final contract under the Enterprise contract umbrella for D3I has been awarded. She said the event was the first communication between the government and the awarded contractors to layout the guidelines for the program and explained how important it was for the government to meet and become familiar with the contractor teams they will be working with.
"Today's contract kickoff benefits SMDC, ACC and the Army by informing industry of the government's expectations and making sure industry understands each organizations mission," said Cynthia Smith, Technology Solutions Division chief, ACC, CAMO Directorate A. "There is no benefit to any of the organizations if the mission is not understood and is not being accomplished. Today's event benefits industry by allowing them to offer the government ideas that will help support the Warfighter and better equip them in the field.
"Having all Domain 1 D3I members come together and receive the same information regarding how the contract will be executed allows for each member to feel part of the D3I team," she added. "If all members have the same information, assumptions and misunderstandings are eliminated and the outcome is favorable to each member and the program."
Smith said they anticipate bids under this domain will occur early third quarter 2017 and the task order requirement will be issued to all awarded contractors who provide a proposal for the effort. She said the government will evaluate the proposals and determine which contractor's approach and price provides the best value and the award will be made to the appropriate contractor and execution of the requirement can begin.
She added that for a program to be successful, clear expectations and communication has to be the key and communicating the need will help satisfy the cause and satisfying the cause supports the mission.
"Today was very successful," Smith said. "Each contractor was appreciative of the information provided by SMDC and appreciative of ACC providing details on the contracting process and what is expected of the contractors. The information provided today can only create a better product from our contractors, which makes for a better product to the field."
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